Eczema help!!

[clachleman]

My 6 month old DS has eczema. We took him to get allergy testing done and it came back saying he has an egg white allergy. What I'm confused about is that nothing that he has had nothing with egg whites that I'm aware of. I've checked his formula and the foods he's had and none contain egg whites. So what I'm thinking is that the egg white allergy isn't what is causing his eczema.

I've switched him to Aveeno Baby bath wash and Mustela lotion and he isn't dry anymore but still has red patches and itches constantly. We also have switched to only 100% cotton clothing and wash with only fragrance free detergent.

Can anyone help me with what could be causing this?

 

[coliebird]

My daughter had the egg white allergy also. I'm happy to say she outgrew it so there is a chance. I don't think her eczema was from food allergies either. The allergist said it is hereditary. My husband had eczema growing up so that makes sense.

I took her to a dermatologist who told me not to give her more than 1 - 2 baths a week and gave me a prescription cream. It wasn't clearing up that well. When I took her to the allergist, he told me to give her a bath every day, soak her in the water until her skin was pruny, then lotion her up while her skin was still damp and it worked. I was skeptical b/c everyone from her dr. to the dermatologist to friends and family told me not to bathe her, but I tried the allergist's way and it worked. I also use Aquaphor on her. It's greasy, but it works the best. Now that she is 2 1/2, I have noticed the eczema only flares up in the spring and the fall, possibly due to weather changes, maybe?

Good luck.

 

[mlynn]

My 6 month old DS has eczema. We took him to get allergy testing done and it came back saying he has an egg white allergy. What I'm confused about is that nothing that he has had nothing with egg whites that I'm aware of. I've checked his formula and the foods he's had and none contain egg whites. So what I'm thinking is that the egg white allergy isn't what is causing his eczema.

I've switched him to Aveeno Baby bath wash and Mustela lotion and he isn't dry anymore but still has red patches and itches constantly. We also have switched to only 100% cotton clothing and wash with only fragrance free detergent.

Can anyone help me with what could be causing this?

Both my girls have this really bad. the doctors told me to bath them with the oatmeal soap and lather them really good with Eusrine(SP?) and to also have a humidfer in there room. The more moisture the better they told me so really use alot of the cream.I do it every night after their baths they are really slimy but it does help and I lightly do it before they dress for the day.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Process of elimination is the way to try and find out if there is a specific cause.

Good start with the contact stuff. Anything that touches the skin could be an irritant.

You could eliminate all foods and then introduce them one by one. That would be the fastest way to see if it is specific food or if it is something else. Perhaps the formula?

I have excema and it is a tough thing to nail down. Mainly water and drying are my enemies along with cleaners. Good Luck.

Using lotions are important!

 

[5Slays]

My DD's best friend has a severe case, so bad that all of the doctors she has ever seen have said that they have never seen a case as bad as hers.

Anyway, they just recently found out she was allergic to chicken (they knew she was allergic to other chicken products like eggs), now that she has cut out chicken, her skin is so much clearer.

Chicken is not an allergy that they normally test for, so you may want to check into that. She is also highly allergic to nuts and any dairy.

 

[kpm76]

I'm not sure what, if anything, the egg white allergy has to do with Eczema. DD is 16 months old and has it. I notice that her flairups typically happen as the seasons change so maybe that is the case for your DS as well?? Believe it or not, Aveeno does not work for DD. We use Huggies baby wash (wierd I know) or Cetaphil. I also have prescriptions for Desonate and Altabax when it gets really bad. My experience with Eczema, since I have it myself, is that it is very much trial and error. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Good luck

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[PixiePop]

My son has eczema and it was the result of reactive airway disease when an infant.

We were told to limit his baths to twice a week. Use a heavy cream like Cetaphil and a gentle cleanser (cetaphil cleanser). Also, when he has a bad breakout we use the sterioid cream (sparingly).

 

[mjkacmom]

I have several kids with moderate/severe eczema, and I have no idea what causes it - I just treat it.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

We use sea salt in the bath (thanks to a few other DISers for this tip!), wash with Pears soap, and apply Gold Bond Healing lotion to treat eczema in our house. Luckily, our child is growing out of the eczema.

 

[Erin1700]

We did the same thing for our DS20 months and his allergy showed up as peanuts! Well, we had never given him anything with peanuts! Clearly not what the eczema is coming from.

Haven't found anything to completely help yet! I know what you are going thru. Good luck.

 

[Barbossa]

Though it might be a dirty word, I'll say it: hydrocortisone. My DS had this horrendous eczema breakout all over his head when he was a couple months old. Our pediatrician told us to use over-the-counter cortisone ointment. In 3-4 days his eczema was gone.

 

[Christine]

Allergies, eczema, and asthma often go hand in hand. It is a condition called "atopy" when a child has all three (that's my son!). My son started with his eczema on his second day of life on this planet. He had it all over his face, his elbows, knees, etc. He was just covered by the time he was 3 months old. He hadn't had any food at that point, just formula. And hypoallergenic at that.

He did end up having food allergies (first peanut and egg yolk). He has since gotten rid of the egg allergy and is now also allergic to shellfish. None of the foods seemed to be part of the eczema. His would flare up during climate changes, anxiety, or when he got a fever. It is much better now that he's older and taking an antihistamine each day (Zyrtec) pretty much keeps it clear.

We found out when he was about 5 years old that he also has asthma. Typical atopic kid!

 

[KarenC]

I had asthma and terrible exzema as a kid. When I was in college, the dermatologist told me to use Crisco as a moisturizer. Sounds gross but it worked. Before I went to bed, I'd wash my face, apply hydrocortisone and then a light layer of Crisco. It worked wonders.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I opened this thread with interest, since I have been battling my DS4's eczema for over a year! It used to flare up in summer or when we were on vacation (to a sunny location), so I assumed it was due to pool water or sunscreen. The eczema flared up the worst it's ever been this past summer, and nothing has gotten rid of it. I now use special laundry detergent, special sunscreen, special dryer sheets, Cetaphil soap and lotion, fragrance-free bar-shampoo, I don't bathe him as often... At times he's gotten better, but never rid of it.

We were finally referred by DS's doc to a dermatologist. At the end of summer we were nearly rid of the eczema (then would have switched off the Triamcinilone and Elidel to just Aquaphor and Cetaphil lotion) until... he begged for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I caved. I had suspected a peanut allergy and was going to ask the doc about it at our next visit, but it was two months away. The boy LOVES PB&J, and I hadn't let him have any for weeks, but this time I did. I barely scraped the peanut butter on one side of his sandwich, and the next day his skin was completely covered in itchy red bumps, even on the backs of his hands and tops of his feet!

I searched online to see if I could find a link between peanut allergy and eczema, and found several sites indicating that a peanut allergy can exacerbate topical eczema. Don't I feel stupid!

I still don't know if this is the cause of his eczema, but I have a pretty strong indicator that at least it makes it much worse. So... Now we are scheduled to see an allergist next month. And this time no peanut butter, no matter how much he whines!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

He did end up having food allergies (first peanut and egg yolk). He has since gotten rid of the egg allergy and is now also allergic to shellfish. None of the foods seemed to be part of the eczema. His would flare up during climate changes, anxiety, or when he got a fever. It is much better now that he's older and taking an antihistamine each day (Zyrtec) pretty much keeps it clear.

Christine (or anyone who has been through the allergy testing),

Do they test a child for a bunch of common allergens, or just a single suspect allergen? I don't really know what to expect at this appointment next month... I assume also that it will be a 'scratch test' type of test.

 

[clachleman]

Christine (or anyone who has been through the allergy testing),

Do they test a child for a bunch of common allergens, or just a single suspect allergen? I don't really know what to expect at this appointment next month... I assume also that it will be a 'scratch test' type of test.

For my DS they did a blood test. Which he still didn't enjoy. And I believe they did just test for common food allergies.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

For my DS they did a blood test. Which he still didn't enjoy. And I believe they did just test for common food allergies.

Yeah, DS4 won't like that, either. But another friend went along to help out at a scratch test for a child, and said it was horrid, both adults had to hold a two-year-old down while they did the test!

I'll take a blood test over that any day!

 

[rchristiansen]

Both my DH and DD have eczema. My husband had (note the word HAD) suffered from very severe eczema. It took us years to figure out a solution. Finally we stumbled upon this lotion:

http://www.shikai.com/products/borage.htm

This is the BEST Stuff. He uses is daily and hardly ever has breakouts anymore. It's the Borage oil that is the main treatment.

Last year my DD had eczema on her wrists and we got all sorts of ointments, creams etc from ther dermatologist and nothing worked. I hated the idea of using the steriod ointments on her (She's only 6) The Shikai Borage lotion worked wonders!! It cleared up within a couple days!!! They even have a children's formula, but we just use the stuff in the green bottle.

I know some Vitamin Shoppes carry it but drugstore.com also carries it and is usually on sale.

Good luck!

 

[Christine]

Christine (or anyone who has been through the allergy testing),

Do they test a child for a bunch of common allergens, or just a single suspect allergen? I don't really know what to expect at this appointment next month... I assume also that it will be a 'scratch test' type of test.

My son was first tested when he was 9 months old. That was back in 1995 when the scratch tests were the most prevalent. He was tested for the 8 most common allergens at the time (egg, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, soy, wheat, and I can't remember what else). He was VERY positive to peanuts and egg yolk. When he was about 18 months, he was tested for about 30 items (scratch test) which included a few more foods and then environmental stuff. Very allergic to molds and pollens.

When he was around 6, he was tested again for about 50 things (animals included this time). Again, scratch tests. He was always absolutely fine with the scratch tests. Never an issue except when he was a baby and we had to sit in that office for over an hour doing the tests. He was fidgety!

Last year, when my son was 12, he had his first blood test which confirmed the peanut allergy and also picked up shellfish.